US Open sets casting call

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — The USTA announced today it will host its annual open casting call on Tuesday, June 21 at the Apollo Theater in New York City to select children to perform at the 2011 US Open, August 29 - September 11. Winners will perform live at Arthur Ashe Stadium during night sessions of this year’s US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

The auditions are free of charge and will be held from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. ET. Children 12 years of age and younger as of September 11, 2011, will be asked to sing “America the Beautiful” a cappella in front of a panel of celebrity judges from the music and entertainment industries. Judges for this year’s talent search will be announced in the near future.

“The casting call is a popular US Open tradition as these young singers continue to captivate the New York crowds,” said Gordon Smith, Executive Director and COO, USTA. “We are excited to bring this annual competition to a new venue in the Apollo, and expect that the judges will have some difficult choices to make as they do every year.”

“The Apollo has been a launching pad for new talent for more than 75 years,” said Jonelle Procope, President and CEO of the Apollo Theater. “It couldn’t be more appropriate that the young singers who will perform at the US Open will be discovered on the same stage where so many of America’s musical legends got their start.”

The USTA will announce the final selections in mid-July. The winners will receive a US Open gift bag and tickets to their performance session — in addition to exposure in front of as many as 24,000 fans in Arthur Ashe Stadium. For more information on the open casting call, including the official rules, log on to USOpen.org.

The 2011 US Open will be held Monday, August 29 through Sunday, September 11. The 2010 US Open drew more than 710,000 fans, marking the fourth consecutive year the event has attracted more than 700,000 attendees. More than one million domestic viewers watched the 2010 US Open on CBS Sports, ESPN2 and Tennis Channel, and international broadcasts reached 185 countries. Tickets for this year’s tournament go on-sale on Monday, June 13, and can be purchased by logging on to USOpen.org or by calling 1-866-OPEN-TIX beginning at 9 a.m. on that Monday.